Mush! Sled dogs embark on 1,000-mile Iditarod

Gerald Sousa's team charges down the trail at the start of the Iditarod in Willow, Alaska, on March 3.

Nathaniel Wilder / Reuters

Four-time Iditarod champion Jeff King greets fans as his team charges down the trail at the start on March 3.

By Rachel D'Oro, The Associated Press: Dogs aching to run bolted out of the chute Sunday to launch the 41st running of Alaska's Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

Now 65 teams will be making their way through punishing wilderness toward the finish line in Nome on Alaska's western coast 1,000 miles away.

The Iditarod kicked off Saturday with an 11-mile jaunt through Anchorage, 50 miles south of the real starting line in the town of Willow. Sunday's event marked the competitive portion of the race. Read the full story.

Nathaniel Wilder / Reuters

Peter Kaiser's team charges down the trail during the start on March 3.

Nathaniel Wilder / Reuters

A dog from Jeff King's team leaps into the air before it hits the trail on March 3.

Rachel D'Oro / AP

Dogs wait to run in the race on March 3.

Nathaniel Wilder / Reuters

The lead dogs of musher Brent Sass race down 4th Avenue at the ceremonial start to the Iditarod in downtown Anchorage, Alaska, on March 2.